The seven-month-old IK Gujral-led United Front Government collapsed on November 28, 1997, with the Congress withdrawing support and staking claim to form an alternative government.
Gujral tendered his resignation from the seven-month-old ministry but did not recommend dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
In his resignation letter submitted to President KR Narayanan, the Prime Minister said he was resigning following withdrawal of support by the Congress on unjustified grounds.
The withdrawal of support by the Congress brought the curtains down on the two-week-long political uncertainty, triggered by its demand for the ouster of the ministers of the DMK from the government on the grounds that the Dravidian party had been indicted by the Jain Commission on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination issue.
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The decision to withdraw support was announced by Congress president Sitaram Kesri at a crowded press conference after two protracted sessions of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
Earlier, Kesri met Narayanan and submitted to him a letter conveying the party’s decision to withdraw support.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Kesri met Narayanan and submitted to him a letter conveying the party’s decision to withdraw support.
{{/usCountry}}In the letter, Kesri requested the President “to explore the possibilities of formation of an alternative government at the Centre without resorting to the dissolution of the House.”
Kesri also staked claim to form a government, saying “we are sure, given a chance, we would be able to prove our majority on the floor of the House.”
In the letter, Kesri assured that the Congress “will continue to work to build up broad-based unity among secular parties” with the objective of containing communal and disruptive forces.
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Kesri, in his four-page letter given to the President, recalled that he had written two letters to Gujral requesting him to drop the DMK ministers from the Union Government.
“Unfortunately, on both the occasions, Prime Minister IK Gujral turned down our request. We made it very clear in our letters that it would not be possible for the Congress to continue support to the United Front Government in view of the gravity of the situation and sensitivity of the issue,” he wrote.
After his meeting with the President, Kesri presided over the CWC meeting at party headquarters during which he announced the decision to withdraw the support.
The Union Cabinet met to consider the situation around the same time when Kesri was meeting the President. At that stage, the Congress communication concerning the withdrawal of support had not reached the Prime Minister.
The letter was subsequently delivered at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) by AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes.
Emerging from the Cabinet meeting, agriculture minister Chaturanan Mishra and defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav told newsmen that the government had no option but to resign after the withdrawal of support by the Congress.
Information and broadcasting minister and Front spokesman Jaipal Reddy asserted that none of the constituents of the UF would support any attempt by the Congress or the BJP to form the government.
He said all the UF constituents had given a commitment to this effect in writing to Front convenor Chandrababu Naidu.
The Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) took time to write its letter in this connection. The TMC Parliamentary Party fell in line with other UF constituents only after discussing the issue at a meeting.
The TMC functionaries said the party would, however, support any attempt to form a “secular and stable” government.
In a related development, Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma announced that the House, adjourned sine-die on November 25, following stalling of proceedings by the Congress on the DMK issue, would be reconvened on December 2. He said this after a meeting with government representatives and leaders of the Congress. Sangma also conveyed this decision later to the President.
(An edited excerpt of the news report carried in HT’s edition of November 29, 1997.)